Continuing his tirade against the ruling Congress in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the Siddaramaiah government had turned into a ‘Seedha Rupaiah’ government and took “commission” to implement a project or scheme.

“The Siddaramaiah government has turned into a Seedha Rupaiah (straightaway money) government as no official work is done without giving money or 10, 12, 15 per cent commission,” Modi said at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally in this textile town, about 260km northwest of Bengaluru.

Advertisement

Everything in the Congress-ruled state appeared to happen at a price, he said and added that Karnataka needed freedom from this kind of corruption.

He urged people to vote for the BJP in the coming Assembly polls so that a government led by party state President B.S. Yeddyurappa was formed.

He alleged that the state Congress government was “incapable” of even utilising the central funds”.

During the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance regime at the Centre, Karnataka received only Rs 73,000 crore, while the current BJP-led central government had released Rs 2 lakh crore for the state, Modi said.

“Several projects for which the central government has released funds have been stalled by this commission government. Nearly Rs 500 crore of the funds given for National Health Mission schemes still remains unused by the state,” he claimed.

People in the poll-bound southern state were dissatisfied and angry with the Congress government and were keen to oust the party from the state, Modi said.

“People in the country have decided to throw out Congress from the country as it is evident from their defeat in state after state. There is an anti-Congress mood in Karnataka as well.”

The Congress never cared for the poor and the farmers, Modi remarked at the rally attended by thousands of farmers, while hailing Yeddyurappa as the “farmers’ friend”.

“One family ruled India for 48 years (referring to Congress), but never cared for the poor, whereas one tea-seller (referring to himself) served for about 48 months, and has devoted all his time for the poor and farmers,” he said.

This was Modi’s third rally in Karnataka after one at Mysuru on February 19 and another at Bengaluru on February 4.

The rally also marked the 75th birthday of Yeddyurappa, who was the party’s first Chief Minister of Karnataka from May 2008 to July 2011 when he resigned following his indictment in the multi-crore mining scam in the state during his three-year tenure.